Last update: April 2025

 

 

 

XIAN GU

 

 

 

 

EMPLOYMENT

 

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business Assistant Professor of Marketing

 

 

EDUCATION

 

Ph.D. in Marketing

University of Maryland, College Park, MD M.A. Economics

Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY Bachelor of Economics

Peking University, Beijing, China

HH2100 1309 E. 10th Street

Bloomington, IN 47405 xiangu@iu.edu

 

 

 

 

July 2019 – current

 

 

 

 

 

May 2019

 

May 2014

 

June 2012

 

 

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

 

Substantive:  Digital  Marketing  (live  streaming,  influencer  marketing,  freemium,  mobile marketing), Market Competition

Methodological: Causal Inference, Econometric Models, Machine Learning, Field Experiment, Bayesian Models

 

 

JOURNAL PUBLICATION (*Doctoral student at time of publication)

 

1.   Gu, Xian, Juan Bu, and Krista Li, “Old But Gold? Product Design Innovation and the Value of   Used   Products   in   Secondhand   Markets,”   Conditional   Accept,   Production   and Operations Management

 

2.   Gu, Xian and P. K. Kannan (2025), “Identifying Competitors in Geographical Markets using the CSIS Method,” Forthcoming, Journal of Marketing Research

 

3.   Gu,  Xian,  Xiaoxi  Zhang*,  and  P.  K.  Kannan  (2024),  “Influencer  Mix  Strategies  in Livestream Commerce: Impact on Product Sales,” Journal of Marketing, 88 (4), 64-83.

▪ 2023 Kelley School of Business Research Award

▪ Invited  for  Research  Insights  Series  with  the  AMA’s  Innovation,  Technology,  and Interactivity SIG (Newsletter, February 2025 Issue 2)

▪ Invited   for   The   Power   of   Micro-Influencers   Workshop   by   the   University   of Pittsburgh’s Center for Branding

▪ Invited   for  2023   IBA   Faculty   Research   Spotlight  Series   and   featured   in  IBA OnAnalytics magazine (Fall 2024)

 

4.   Gu, Xian and P. K. Kannan (2021), “The Dark Side of Mobile App Adoption: Examining the Impact on Customers’ Multichannel Purchase,” Journal of Marketing Research, 58 (2), 246-264.

▪ 2022 Donald R. Lehmann Award

 

5.   Gu, Xian*, P. K. Kannan, and Liye Ma (2018), “Selling the Premium in Freemium,” Journal of Marketing, 82 (6), 10-27 (lead article).

▪ 2019 Donald R. Lehmann Award, Runner up

▪ 2018 Marketing Science Institute/H. Paul Root Award, Finalist ▪ Invited for webinar by Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Marketing

 

6.   Keyser, Arne De, Yakov Bart, Xian Gu, Stephanie Q. Liu, Stacey G. Robinson, and P. K. Kannan  (2021),  “Opportunities  and  Challenges  of  Using  Biometrics  for  Business: Developing a Research Agenda,” Journal of Business Research, 136, 52-62.

 

 

MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW AND SELECTED RESEARCH IN PROGRESS (*Doctoral student)

 

1.   Gu, Xian, Jingcun Cao, and Yulin Fang, “Review Manipulation and Filtering on Digital Platforms,” Invited for 4th-Round Review, Information Systems Research

 

2.   Li, Krista, Jianqiang Zhang, and Xian Gu, “Live Stream Selling and Pay-What-You-Want Tips,” Invited for 2nd-Round Review, Management Science

 

3.   “Beyond Monetization: Heterogeneous Effects of Open Access as a Freemium Strategy for Public Good,” with Xiaoxi Zhang and Lin Lei*

 

4.   “Product Mix Strategies in Influencer Marketing,” with Sheng Liu and Yiwei Li

 

5.   “The  Role  of  Influencer  Marketing  in  Customer  Journey,”  with  Xiaoxi  Zhang  and Maximilian Beichert

 

6.   “The Dynamics of Influencer Marketing Strategies,” with Phillip Kim and Maximilian Peter Matthe

 

 

BOOK CHAPTERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

 

1.   Gu, Xian, Xiaoxi Zhang, and P. K. Kannan (2025), “Optimizing Influencer Mix Strategies for Livestream Commerce: Insights from China”, NIM Marketing Intelligence Review, 17 (1), 36-41.

 

2.   Beichert, Maximilian, Xiaoxi Zhang, Andreas Bayerl, Jacob Goldenberg, Xian Gu, P. K. Kannan, and Andreas Lanz (2024), “The Surprising ROI of Small Online Influencers,” MIT Sloan Management Review.

 

 

3.   Kannan, P. K., Xian Gu and Hongshuang (Alice) Li (2023), “Selecting and Optimizing the Freemium Sales Model,” Impact at JMR.

 

4.   Gu, Xian, P. K. Kannan and Liye Ma (2019), “How Companies Can Get the Most Out of a Freemium Business Model,” Harvard Business Review.

 

5.   Kannan, P. K., and Xian Gu (2019), “Customer Centricity and the Impact of Technology,” in Robert W. Palmatier, Christine Moorman, and Ju-Yeon Lee, eds., Handbook on Customer Centricity, Edward Elgar Publishing: Massachusetts, 300-316.

 

 

TEACHING

 

1.   Digital Marketing (undergraduate), Kelley School of Business, Indiana University ▪ Instructor, Spring 2022-2025/Fall and Spring 2020

▪ 2025 IU Trustee Teaching Award

 

2.   Social Media in Marketing (Ph.D.), Kelley School of Business, Indiana University ▪ Instructor (one session), Fall 2021

 

3.   Marketing  Research  Methods  (undergraduate),  Robert  H.  Smith  School  of  Business, University of Maryland

▪ Instructor, Spring 2017 and 2019

 

 

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED TALKS

 

Tianfu Marketing Forum at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China (June 2025)

The Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China (June 2025) Tongji University, Shanghai, China (June 2025)

The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (May 2025)

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China (May 2025)

Research Insights Series with the AMA’s Innovation, Technology, and Interactivity SIG, online (August 2024)

Marketing Dynamics Conference, Santorini Island, Greece (June 2024)

The  Power  of  Micro-Influencers  Workshop  by  the  University  of  Pittsburgh’s  Center  for Branding, online (April 2024)

IBA Faulty Research Spotlight Series, Bloomington, IN (February 2024) AMA Winter Academic Conference, St. Pete Beach, FL (February 2024) Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China (December 2023) Fudan University, Shanghai, China (November 2023)

ISMS Marketing Science Conference, Miami, FL (June 2023)

AMA Winter Academic Conference, Nashville, TN (February 2023) ISMS Marketing Science Conference, Chicago, IL (June 2022)

AMA Winter Academic Conference, Las Vegas, NV (February 2022)

ISMS Marketing Science Conference, Durham, NC (June 2020) Marketing Dynamics Conference, College Park, MD (June 2019) ISMS Marketing Science Conference, Philadelphia, PA (June 2018) Haring Symposium, Bloomington, IN (April 2018)

Marketing Dynamics Conference, Hong Kong, China (August 2017) ISMS Marketing Science Conference, Los Angeles, CA (June 2017) Robert Mittelstaedt Doctoral Symposium, Lincoln, NE (March 2017) AMA Winter Academic Conference, Orlando, FL (February 2017) ISMS Marketing Science Conference, Shanghai, China (June 2016)

Advanced Research Techniques (ART) Forum, San Diego, CA (June 2015)

 

 

HONORS AND AWARDS

 

2025 IU Trustee Teaching Award

2023 Kelley School of Business Research Award 2023 ISMS Early Career Scholars Camp Fellow 2022 Donald R. Lehmann Award

2019 Donald R. Lehmann Award (Runner Up)

2019 AMS Mary Kay Dissertation Proposal Award (Finalist) 2018 Marketing Science Institute/H. Paul Root Award (Finalist) 2018 AMA Sheth Doctoral Consortium Fellow

2018 Haring Symposium Fellow

2017 Shankar-Spiegel Best Dissertation Proposal Award 2017 Robert Mittelstaedt Doctoral Symposium Fellow

2016 INFORMS Marketing Science Doctoral Consortium Fellow

 

 

SERVICE

 

Doctoral Dissertation/Examination Committee: Ningning Guo (Indiana University)

Philip Kim (Indiana University) Sohum Mehrotra (Indiana University) Aman Soni (University of Pittsburg) Joanna Li (Indiana University)

 

Editorial Review Board Member:

Journal of Interactive Marketing (2024-) Journal of Retailing (2022-)

 

Ad-hoc Reviewer for Journals:

Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, Information System Research, Production and Operations Management, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Retailing

 

Reviewer for Others:

John A. Howard/AMA Doctoral Dissertation Award Shankar-Spiegel Best Dissertation Proposal Competition